Aubrey de Vere, 2nd Earl of Oxford
Aubrey de Vere IV, 2nd Earl of Oxford (1163/5 or 1172–1214) was the eldest son of Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford, and his third wife, Agnes of Essex, daughter of Henry de Essex, Lord of Rayleigh. The earl was hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain of England and was considered to be one of the cronies of King John. In the summer of 1209, the earl was part of a group of courtiers who met the Pope's agents in Dover to prevent John's excommunication. At various times he held the offices of High Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire (1209–1213), custodian of ports in East Anglia and Essex, steward of the royal forests in Essex, and Keeper of the King's Greyhounds. He and others were involved in a dispute over feudal financial assessments (scutage) with the abbot of Bury St. Edmunds; Earl Aubrey was the last to resist a settlement.[1] Earl Aubrey served in several of the military campaigns of kings Richard I and John; for example, he was with John's forces in Ireland in 1210.
[edit] Family
He was married twice, first to Isabel de Bolebec (1175 – c. 1206), daughter and heiress of Walter de Bolebec of Whitchurch, and after her death to Alice, possibly a daughter of Roger Bigod, 3rd earl of Norfolk. He did not name her dower when they wed, for after his death his brother, Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford, established her dower lands by lot, Earl Robert drawing two manors for every one Countess Alice drew. She never remarried and outlived her husband by at least 29 years.
He had an illegitimate son, Roger de Vere, but with no legitimate issue at his death, he was succeeded in his lands, title, and office by his brother Robert.[2]
[edit] Notes
| Peerage of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Aubrey de Vere III |
Earl of Oxford 1194–1214 |
Succeeded by Robert de Vere |
